Legal Question in Personal Injury in Massachusetts

Can volunteer organization forbid you to speak to lawyer suing the organization?

I volunteer for an animal shelter where someone was bitten by a dog they were bringing home from the shelter after the adoption was approved. The shelter sent out an email saying the plaintiff's lawyer might approach us to ask questions and that none of us were authorized to speak with anyone about the topic. It seems to me this is a way of wording a request not to speak with anyone to sound like a legal right the shelter has. They don't have the right to forbid us to speak to anyone about the incident, right?


Asked on 5/13/08, 7:27 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Gregory Lee Gregory P. Lee, Attorney at Law

Re: Can volunteer organization forbid you to speak to lawyer suing the organization?

You cannot be forbidden to speak to any lawyer or investigator. The ethics of a lawyer calling you him or herself is questionable, if you have an association with the shelter.

Be aware that you probably signed some agreement when volunteering for the shelter. Speaking to an investigator might well violate that agreement. Even if there is no agreement, the shelter will certainly have grounds to end its relationship with you if you provide information to an investigator.

Read more
Answered on 5/13/08, 10:45 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Personal Injury Law and Tort Law questions and answers in Massachusetts